Doctrine and Debate in the East Christian World, 300-1500

The reign of Constantine (306-37), the starting point for the series in which this volume appears, saw Christianity begin its journey from being just one of a number of competing cults to being the official religion of the Roman/Byzantine Empire. The involvement of emperors had the, perhaps inevitable, result of a preoccupation with producing, promoting and enforcing a single agreed version of the Christian creed. Under this pressure Christianity in the East fragmented into different sects, disagreeing over the nature of Christ, but also, in some measure, seeking to resist imperial interference and to elaborate Christianities more reflective of and sensitive to local concerns and cultures.  In more detail

The Ascent of Christian Law: Patristic and Byzantine Formulations of a New Civilization

This work asks the question: "What did Christianity do to build a civilization"? In the present age, law has been used energetically to micro-manage human societies, values, and aspirations. But did law work that way in antiquity? In more detail

The Mystery of the Church: A Course in Orthodox Dogmatic Theology

In this sweeping survey the author traces the Church’s history from her Old Testament roots to the present. In his enduring devotion to the Orthodox understanding of the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit as “the two hands of the Father”, Fr Bobrinskoy brings his considerable knowledge and experience to bear in witnessing to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church as the instrument of God's saving grace for all mankind. In more detail

Interview with Archimandrite Justin Sinaites

An interview with the librarian of the Monastery of St Catherine, Mount Sinai, Archimandrite Justin Sinaites, on the history and mission of the monastery, the Ladder of St John, and the fear of death. In more detail

James M. Kuyama on patrology in Japan

Interview with James M. Kuyama, Professor at the Department of Literature, Meiji Gakuin University, on the current interest in patristics in Japan. In more detail

Theological Education in Scripture and the Fathers

In this address, given at the Vth International Consultation of Orthodox Theological Schools at Halki Theological School, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware examines the Orthodox view of the nature of theology and theological education. Who is worthy of being called a theologian? And yet, if a theologian is ‘one who prays’, should not all Christians aspire to be theologians? In more detail

A Silent Action: Engagements with Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton’s life, especially once he had become a monk, was to a great extent one of dialogue with people who were either distant or dead (many saints and writers of past centuries). Rowan Williams looks closely at two such relationships in Merton’s life—first with the Orthodox theologian, Paul Evdokimov, and then with Karl Barth, the Reformed theologian who, by a surprising providence, died on the same day as Merton. Rowan also takes note of the impact on Merton’s thought of books by Hannah Arendt, Dostoevsky, Vladimir Lossky, Olivier Clément, Bonhoeffer, Boris Pasternak, and St. John of the Cross. In more detail

Interview with Deacon Anastasios Bendo of the Orthodox Church in Albania

Deacon Anastasios Bendo is the secretary of the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, and works primarily as a translator and editor. In this interview he discusses the history of the Albanian Church, its current witness and struggles, and the nature of Christian marriage today. In more detail

What does it take to be Anti-Jewish? A deconstruction of statements held to be Anti-Jewish in Early Christian writers

In this presentation, originally given at the Cambridge University Faculty of Divinity, Dr Elena Narinskaya discusses the tendency to describe early Christian writers as being anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish. Looking in particular at examples from the writings of St Ephrem the Syrian, Dr Narinskaya examines and questions the process by which these terms come to be attached to patristic authors. In more detail

Seven Days on the Roads of France

This book follows Vladimir Lossky's attempt to enlist in the French army after the Nazi invasion of France in 1940. It records his reflections on suffering; the true nature of Christian or Western civilization; the rightness or otherwise of war; the problematic relationship between Church and State; what we mean by a "nation"; and secularization. Such issues are mulled over, not as arid abstractions, but by someone who, as he walks across an increasingly war-torn landscape, quite literally has his feet on the ground. In more detail

Feminism in Christianity: An Orthodox Christian Response

First published in 1983 by the Orthodox Christian Publications Center, this little book is by a modern woman who investigates a modern phenomenon, the Women’s Movement, and its effects on religious thought. The author explores how feminist thought gave birth to feminist theology, and then contrasts the religious tenets embraced by feminist theologians with those held by Orthodox Christians. In more detail

We Must Pray for All: The Salvation of the World According to St Silouan

Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia analyses the soteriological theology of St Silouan the Athonite. Identifying the similar sense of cosmic unity found both in Dostoevsky and St Silouan, the Metropolitan discusses the influence of St Isaac the Syrian on both men, moving on to examine St Silouan's burning desire and constant prayer for the salvation of the whole world and its theological implications. In more detail

Interview with Professor Christopher Beeley from Yale Divinity School

Should the study of the Church Fathers be a confessional science? In this interview Christopher Beeley, Professor of Anglican Studies and Patristics at Yale Divinity School, argues that the main hope for Christian unity today lies in patristic studies. In more detail

Interview with Dr Konstantinos Kenanidis, General Director of the Orthodox Academy of Crete

Dr Kenanidis, General Director of the Orthodox Academy of Greece and a specialist in pastoral counselling for adolescents and families, discusses the mission of the Academy and the nature of the relationship between Orthodox theology, the sciences, and the modern world. In more detail

Liturgy as a Way of Evangelisation

Evangelisation is the proclamation of the good news of salvation. It is not merely teaching a system of beliefs or transmitting a moral code. In this article Professor Archimandrite Job Getcha highlights the connection between evangelisation and our encounter with the living God in the Orthodox Liturgy. In more detail

Interview with Constantine Niarchos, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Athens

Professor Constantine Niarchos is Professor of Ancient Greek Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy in the University of Athens, and specialises in the relationship between ancient Greek philosophy and early Christian thought. In this interview he discusses modern asceticism, the question of the future of Orthodox Christianity, and how Christians can best tackle the crises of the modern world. In more detail

New Pentarchy – New Catholicity?

In early September a Synaxis of the Heads of the Four Ancient Patriarchates and the Patriarchate of Cyprus was held in Istanbul at the residence of the Patriarch of Constantinople. This event triggered discussions among experts about an attempt to bring back to life the institute of the Pentarchy in the East. The website “Bogoslov.Ru”, continuing the debate on this issue, offers an article by Doctor of Theology Andrew A. Ukhtomsky, Professor of Kiev School of Theology. In more detail

SVS Press: New Translations of “On the Incarnation” and “Works of the Spirit”

New translations of classic works of theology by St Athanasius the Great and Didymus the Blind now available, "On the Incarnation" with a preface by C.S Lewis. In more detail

What I didn’t tell the President, or The city without a head

In his own column the editor in chief of the Bogoslov.ru portal, priest Pavel Velikanov, shares his thoughts on the meeting of the President of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev with the clergy and representatives of the church community. In more detail

Interview with theologian Dr A.J. Milbank, Professor of Religion, Politics and Ethics at the University of Nottingham

In this interview with Fr Antoniy Borisov, Professor Milbank, Director of the Centre for Theology and Politics at Nottingham University, discusses religion in modern and ancient everyday life, the place of romanticism in theology, and "Radical Orthodoxy". In more detail